Christmas countdown activities: a 24-day plan
Updated 30 October 2026 · By Rob and Chris, two Sheffield dads, and our families
A Christmas countdown is one small family activity a day from 1 to 24 December, with no calendar to buy. Here is a ready-made 24-day plan for December 2026: quick things on school nights, longer ones on the weekends of 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20 December, and a 5 minute version for every day.
Our 24-day Christmas countdown, December 2026
Print it, stick it on the fridge, and tick each day. Short on time? Do the 5 minute version.
Or use your browser’s Print. Only the list prints.
| Day | Activity | Time | You need | 5 minute version | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | Make a 24-loop paper chain. Take one loop off each night. | 20 min | Paper strips, tape | Make 5 loops tonight, add more tomorrow. | |
| Wed 2 | Christmas joke night | 10 min | A joke each | One joke at tea. | |
| Thu 3 | Write a letter to Santa | 20 min | Paper, pens | Draw one wish. | |
| Fri 4 | Christmas film night | An evening | A film you have | One Christmas song and a dance. | |
| Sat 5 | Put up the tree and decorations | 1 hour+ | Your decorations | Hang one decoration each. | |
| Sun 6 | Christmas lights walk | 45 min | Coats, a torch | Turn your lights off and look for lights from a window. | |
| Mon 7 | Paper snowflakes | 20 min | Paper, scissors | One snowflake each. | |
| Tue 8 | Kindness coupons | 15 min | Paper, pens | Write one coupon. | |
| Wed 9 | Freeze dance | 10 min | Music | One song. | |
| Thu 10 | Make Christmas cards | 30 min | Card, pens | One card for a neighbour. | |
| Fri 11 | Indoor treasure hunt | 15 min | 5 small things | Hide 3 things. | |
| Sat 12 | Bake Christmas biscuits | 1.5 hours | Ingredients, cutters | Ice one plain biscuit each. | |
| Sun 13 | Salt dough decorations | 1 hour + oven | Flour, salt, water | Draw and cut out a paper decoration. | |
| Mon 14 | Christmas charades | 15 min | Nothing | Three rounds. | |
| Tue 15 | Story by torchlight | 15 min | A torch, a book | One page. | |
| Wed 16 | Start a sharing parcel for a food bank | 15 min | A box, your food bank’s list | Read the list together. | |
| Thu 17 | Living-room concert | 15 min | Pans, wooden spoons | One carol. | |
| Fri 18 | Blanket grotto and a warm drink | 30 min | Blankets, cushions | A den under the table. | |
| Sat 19 | A free Christmas event: carols, the library or a market | 2 hours | Check what’s on locally | Sing one carol at home. | |
| Sun 20 | Wrap presents together | 1 hour | Paper, tape, scissors | Wrap one present. | |
| Mon 21 | Reindeer face snack plate | 15 min | Fruit, crackers | Two raisin eyes on a cracker. | |
| Tue 22 | Make a family Christmas quiz | 30 min | Paper, pens | Five questions. | |
| Wed 23 | Notes: what I loved this year | 20 min | Paper, pens | One sentence each, read at tea. | |
| Thu 24 | Christmas Eve: a carrot for the reindeer, a story and one wish for the family | 20 min | A carrot, a book | Just the carrot. |
Get the Famoo app Family life, sorted together. The family calendar, jobs and lists, shared by everyone at home.
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How do we make a Christmas countdown work?
- One person reads out the day. Take turns, so every child gets to be the announcer.
- Swap days freely. If it pours on 6 December, do the walk another night.
- Missed one? Skip it. No catching up. Tomorrow is a new day.
- Mixed ages: older children lead. They read the story, write the quiz and hide the treasure.
- Most of it is free. The biscuits, the sharing parcel and the Saturday event may cost a little. Swap them for a free idea if you like.
How is this different from an Advent calendar?
It is a plan, not something to buy. You can use it with any calendar, or none. If you want a door to open each day, our free online Advent calendar works in a web browser with no account, and our Advent calendar ideas show how to make one at home. Only 12 days to go? Try our twelve activities.
Keeping it safe
A grown-up handles sharp scissors, the oven and hot drinks with young children: a hot drink can still scald 15 minutes after it was made. Check for allergies before the biscuits, snack plate and hot drinks. Keep small things such as treasure hunt prizes and small decorations away from under-3s: anything smaller than a 2p coin can choke a young child. A grown-up goes up any ladder, puts up and plugs in the lights, checks them for damage and loose wires, and switches them off and unplugs them at night. Use a torch, not candles, for story time and dens. On the lights walk, hold hands near roads and wear something bright.
Step-by-step guides for many of these days are on our Christmas activities page.
Questions parents ask
What can we do for a Christmas countdown instead of an Advent calendar?
Do one small family activity each day from 1 to 24 December: a lights walk, paper snowflakes, a joke night, a film night, baking, a treasure hunt. Keep school nights to 10 or 20 minutes and save the longer ones for weekends.
How do you do a Christmas countdown on a budget?
Most countdown activities need only paper, pens, tape and things you already have. Swap anything that costs money, like baking or a day out, for a free idea such as a joke night, freeze dance or story by torchlight.
What if we miss a day of the countdown?
Skip it, or swap it for the 5 minute version. A countdown should be fun, not another job to catch up on.
When should a Christmas countdown start?
Ours starts on 1 December, so there are 24 days to Christmas Eve. You can start any day: if you start late, pick the activities you like best from the list.
Want the countdown to open itself each day?
In Famoo, your family’s Advent calendar opens one door a day with that day’s activity, picture steps, an elf who reads each step aloud, and a part for each age, so brothers and sisters can do it together. Join the beta and choose your 24 from 46 activities.
Famoo is a family app for UK homes, in beta, so things may change.
Where this comes from
Each fact on this page links to one of these. Everything else is our own view from our families.
- NHS, Baby and toddler safety, checked 30 October 2026
- Child Accident Prevention Trust, Safe from choking, checked 30 October 2026
- Electrical Safety First, Electrical safety advice for Christmas lights, checked 30 October 2026
